Fire and Wind
by Ven Hardy
Summary: Naminé is responsible yet a bit hot-headed, while Roxas loves to fool around and tease her. But, still, they're the best of friends and they never really thought about falling for each other. Namixas, SoKai, Rion, slight Roxion, but mostly Namixas
1. N: Just Friends, That and Nothing Else

While I was thinking about what I should do about Connected by Music, I suddenly got the idea to write this fanfic. And, yeah, the title's kinda weird for a high school love story. You'll learn why in the future chapters. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, and the song used in this chapter. I never will…

* * *

_**Naminé**_

_**CHAPTER ONE: JUST FRIENDS, THAT AND NOTHING ELSE**_

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," I heard a man's voice say. "Wake up!"

The voice belonged to my dad. I groaned as I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the back of our car's driver's seat. I rubbed my eyes, forcing my sleepiness to vanish. Gee, that History research project really tired me out. I slept very late and, to make matters worse, woke up early to prepare for school. I'm used to it, especially since I'm finally in my senior and last year in high school, meaning our teachers give us lots of stuff to do. It's probably some kind of preparation for us when we're already in college.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I'm an honor student, so my teachers expect a lot from me, and I have to try my best to maintain my grades. Hard, yeah, but as always, I'm already used to it. It happens to me every year.

Mom watched me as I checked my bag again to see if I forgot something else. "You really look tired, dear," she told me. "Why don't you just pass that project of yours then go back home to get some sleep?"

"I'm okay, Mom," I assured her. "I'll be back in full energy when I finally see my friends."

"Alright, then," she said kindly with a smile. She looked at my hair and frowned. "Just comb your hair before you get out of the car."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," I teased as I pull a comb out of my pocket. Mom's really concerned when it comes to my appearance, but she's more concerned to her _own_ appearance.

I finished combing my hair, picked up my bag, and got out of the car. "We'll see you later," I heard my dad say.

"Okay, see ya," I called as I closed the car's door. I stood and watched as our car left. I saw Mom waving goodbye at me and I waved back. When they were finally out of sight, I began to walk inside the school premises and towards our classroom.

Destiny Islands Academy (or DIA for short), as always, was really crowded. Lots of students chatted around me. I waved, smiled, or said hi to my old friends and classmates as I walked. I finally reached our room. Before I could enter, I heard someone call my name.

"Hey, Naminé!" a voice called. "Naminé Davies!"

I instantly knew the owner of the voice. I turned around and saw Hayner with his friends, Pence and Olette. "Morning, Hayner," I greeted him politely as I watched him approach me.

"Can you give this back to Roxas?" he said as he gave me a red notebook. I took it from him and looked at the cover. SONG NOTEBOOK NUMBER ONE, the title read. Roxas' name was also written. "And don't peek in it, okay? Rox and I have a big secret hidden inside." He suddenly smiled. A very mysterious smile.

"Don't worry, I won't," I assured him. "I'm not the type of person who meddles with other people's business."

"I know about that," Hayner said. "That's why I gave it to you, right?" He began to walk back to his friends, who were standing outside the classroom beside ours. "Thanks a bunch, Nami!"

"Okay," I muttered as I stepped inside our room.

The moment I entered, I saw my classmates doing their own "business": talking to each other, doing nothing at all, and, most of all, copying their homework from their friends, or maybe even our research project. I smiled to myself and shook my head in amusement while walking to my own seat and watching them. Cramming has always been a part of student life, I guess. I admit, I cram sometimes, too… It sounds funny, right? Especially since I'm an honor student.

Like what I expected, my friends sat with their seats forming a circle. I joined them shortly after I put down my bag. "Hey, guys," I said, looking at each and every one of them. "How's your night?"

"Not good at all," Kairi mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I hardly got any sleep. I think I'm beginning to have insomnia because of all our schoolwork."

That surprised me a bit. Kairi was my best girl friend, and I knew her as someone who doesn't complain about things. Among us, she's the most girly, but she's still modest and kind.

"Maybe you should take a nap, Kai," Sora told my red-haired friend in concern. I smiled when I heard this. Kairi liked Sora for a very long time, and it's pretty obvious that he liked her back.

"I'm okay, don't worry about me," Kairi insisted, blushing a bit.

I heard a giggle. There's no doubt it came from Xion, my other girl friend. Unlike Kairi, she's a bit of a tomboy. She's really smart too, and a part of the High School and College Council (HSCC). It's some kind of group made up of some high school and college students of DIA. Roxas was a member of the Council too, so he and Xion always had meetings after classes. He and I rarely walk home together because of that.

"They look cute, don't they?" she whispered to me. I nodded in agreement.

I saw Riku staring at the two. Actually, he's my crush, but he doesn't know about it… And I don't have any plan to let him know. He's Sora's best friend, but I think he liked Kairi, too. Poor guy… I tried hard not to feel shy around him. So far, so good.

"What about you, Riku?" I asked him just to change the mood a bit.

"Huh?" Riku said in surprise, looking away from Sora and Kairi and shifting his aqua eyes to me. I hoped I was not blushing. "Well, just like you guys, I'm kinda tired, too."

"No doubt about that," Xion responded. "The questions were really so hard to find."

"Yeah," Riku said, nodding in agreement and smiling at Xion. Anyway, Riku and Xion were best friends too, so they agree in a lot of things.

I noticed that Roxas was not yet with us. I looked at my watch. "What's taking him so long?" I said out loud, starting to feel impatient. "He should be here before I even arrive." Roxas and I lived in the same street, so our houses were near each other's. Actually, his house was nearer to school than mine, so he really should have arrived before me.

Like an answer, I heard loud footsteps from outside. The person seemed to be running. Fast. I recognized its sounds. "Speak of the devil," I muttered to myself as I turned around from my seat to wait for the person to enter.

In a second or two, a boy with golden brown hair, blue eyes, and eyeglasses appeared right outside the door, panting really hard. "Man!" he exclaimed loudly. "I thought I'm gonna be late!"

"Will you be quiet?" I told him, annoyed. "You're always like this early in the morning. Can't you see some people are working in here?"

He seemed to ignore me because he just continued talking in a loud voice. "Gee, I woke up _really_ early just to finish that stupid research," he said as he walked towards our group.

I became more annoyed and rolled my eyes. "Jerk," I muttered.

He put down his bag and sat on an empty armchair between me and Xion. "And when I say '_really_ early', it means earlier than my usual 'wake up hour,'" he continued with a proud smile.

"Okay, okay, we got it," I said. "You don't have to be so proud about it. It's not something to be proud about, anyway. Now, just shut up."

"Yes, Madame Principal," he teased with his usual silly smile.

I have had it! I stepped on his foot. Hard.

Roxas howled in pain. "What the heck?!" he exclaimed, clutching his foot.

I huffed. Roxas Morgan was a real jerk. He and I were childhood friends and he had been like that ever since! Can you believe that? He didn't change at all. Even one bit. Well, except his height and weight. But, mentally, NOT AT ALL. He's always been a big jerk.

But, still, we're the best of friends. We're rivals too. Like me, he's an honor student. He's probably smarter than me and Xion. So if I'm nerdy, he's nerdier than me. And he really looked like one because of his glasses. Trust me, when you see him, you'll think he looked funny too. A nerdy jerk… I know he's just acting stupid, but sometimes, I find him funny or completely annoying at all.

One more thing: he's always in "hyper-mode", which explains why he's sooo loud every morning. Gee, when will that guy become serious, anyway?

"Anyway," I said, changing the subject while Roxas continued clutching his foot. I gave him the red notebook Hayner gave me. "Hayner wanted me to give this back to you."

"Finally!" Roxas exclaimed once again as he took the notebook from me. I winced at the sound of his voice. "I've been waiting for a very long time for him to return this to me!"

I began to become annoyed again. "You don't have to shout," I demanded. "I'm just right here beside you."

"What are you saying?" he asked loudly, moving his ear to me as if he's deaf.

I frowned as I stepped on his foot again. He clutched it while shouting in pain and apologizing. I smirked as I watched him.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he whined. "I won't do it again. Really."

"You're always saying that, but you just won't stop," I countered. "You're doing it everyday."

Roxas opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. I smirked even more. "Well," I announced happily. "Looks like I won this time."

"Hmph," Roxas replied stubbornly and a bit annoyed. "Whatever." But I could see that he was smiling a bit.

To change the topic, Roxas just opened his red notebook and looked at me suspiciously. I was confused for a while, wondering why he's giving me that look. Then, I remembered what Hayner said. "Don't worry," I said. "I didn't peek inside of it. Hayner said you guys had a secret inside that notebook."

This time, Roxas was the one who's confused. "Huh?" he asked. "No, we don't."

I raised my brow, even more confused than before. "Then why did you look at me like I did something to it?" I asked. Okay, what's going on? Maybe he's just pretending...

"Oh," he said, slowly smiling. "I just thought maybe you tore a page from my beloved notebook."

"What?" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"I know you really like 'Because You Live', so I just thought that maybe you tore the page without me knowing about it."

I gaped at him in disbelief. "Excuse me, I won't ever do that. Why would I even care about that 'beloved notebook' of yours, anyway?"

He ignored me again, making me more annoyed. Before I knew it, he opened his mouth and took a deep breathe.

_Oh, no,_ I thought, raising my hands to my ears. _Here we go again!_

Another thing you should know about Roxas: he loved singing. The only problem? He's always out of tune.

"_**Saw you from the distance**_," Roxas sang. I winced and completely covered my ears. I knew it. He's still out of tune. "_**Saw you from the stage / Something 'bout the look in your eyes / Something 'bout your beautiful face**_."

I saw Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Xion cover their own ears. I laughed when I saw this. Looks like I'm not the only one who's sick of Roxas' "talent" in singing!

Roxas didn't seem to be bothered by our action. "_**In a sea of people, there is only you**_," he continued. "_**I never knew what this song was about / But suddenly now I do**_."

"For goodness' sake, Roxas!" I exclaimed over his singing. "Are you trying to call a storm?"

Finally, he stopped (for a while) to answer me. "Let me think about it. Yes." He replied, flipping through the pages of the notebook. I rolled my eyes as he started singing again. "_**Tryin' to reach out to you, touch my hand / Reach out as far as you can / Only me, only you, and the band / Tryin' to reach out to you, touch my hand**_."

He sang on and on while flipping the pages. When he finally reached the last page, he stopped singing all of a sudden and stared at it. His blue eyes grew wide and drew the notebook closer to his face, like he saw something shocking and want to make sure if it's not an illusion.

When Roxas uncovered his face again, I saw annoyance on it. I thought he muttered something like "I'm gonna kill Hayner." "Hey," I finally said, making Roxas jump a bit. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Roxas answered, closing the notebook really fast. "Nope. Nothing at all."

I looked at him suspiciously. I observed him even more. He looked kinda tense. "Really?" I asked. He just nodded, but I was not satisfied about his answer. I shifted my eyes on the red notebook he was holding. "Then, can I see what's inside that?" I asked as I reached for it.

Unfortunately, Roxas was faster. He instantly moved it away from me. "What?" he exclaimed. "No way!"

"You're hiding something, aren't you?" I continued, raising my brow and crossing my arms.

"I'm not," Roxas answered, clutching the notebook tighter.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"I don't believe you."

"Oh, come on!"

"Show it to me first before I believe you."

"But… It's guy stuff!"

I held out my hand to him. "It's a Principal's order."

Roxas was silent for a while, looking surprised. Our friends looked surprised, too. They knew I didn't want to be called "Principal" by anybody, especially Roxas. But this was the only way to convince him (and probably make him happy too).

After a moment of hesitation, I thought I saw a small smile on Roxas' lips. He finally spoke up. "Just a sec," he said, opening the notebook at the last page. He began writing on it. At first I thought that he was erasing whatever's written on it, but as I observed him more, I slowly realized that he really was writing. My friends and I just watched him.

After a few seconds, Roxas put his pen back in his jeans' pocket and slammed the notebook shut. "I need to go to the comfort room," he announced, standing up and tossing the notebook at me.

It barely hit my face. Good thing I caught it in time. "What's your problem?" I asked, becoming annoyed once again. "I just want to know what's going on."

Like always, Roxas ignored me. He began to walk out of the room. I thought I saw him biting his lower lip. Being his best childhood friend, I knew what that means. He's nervous about something. But what?

After a few seconds, Sora and Riku stood up too. "We'll go after him," Riku told us.

"Hey, wait up, Roxas!" I heard Sora shout as they followed Roxas out of the room.

I stared at the open door for a while and shifted my eyes to the notebook in my hands. I slowly opened the back cover and read what's on the back page. I was surprised when I read the first three words which, I noticed, were written by Hayner.

_Roxy loves Nami!_

I finally knew what was going on. So this was the reason why Roxas looked annoyed. Well, I'm a bit annoyed, too. I couldn't believe that Hayner wrote this. Roxas and I were just friends. We didn't have any special feelings for each other. Plus, I know he liked Xion because they spend more time together now because of the Council. And, duh! He's not my type. He'll _never_ be my type. Sure, he's smart, but he's still acting like a big jerk.

_But, wait a sec_, I thought, reading the note again. Maybe it was also because of "Roxy". Roxas hated that nickname very much because he said it made him sound like a girl. "I'm not a gay, and I'm _definitely_ not a girl!" I remembered Roxas say, making me chuckle a bit.

So, there were two options why he was annoyed: because of the note itself, and the nickname "Roxy". I finally decided to just ask him later so I won't be confused anymore.

Below Hayner's note was an arrow pointing down, and below it was some kind of reply written by none other than Roxas himself:

_Excuse me?! Why the heck am I going to fall for a principal like her?! We're just friends, that and nothing else…_

_P.S. For Nami: Happy now? You'd better be! :D Just kidding. But, really, there's no way I'm gonna fall for you, so don't worry! Friends forever, right, Madame Principal? :D_

_From: The "big jerk" you always love. Haha! Just kidding!_

I couldn't help but smile when I read this. "Jerk," I muttered as read it again and again.

Roxas was right. There's no way we're gonna fall for each other. I always loved him, but only as a friend. And we will stay that way. Just as friends, that and nothing else…

* * *

**Song used: **_Touch My Hand_ by David Archuleta

It's a crappy start, for me T_T… I was not satisfied with the beginning at all. And I'm not really that good in English… But I really hope you liked it.

Hmm… Roxas singing out of tune… Just imagining about it really makes me laugh. His voice actor is a singer, after all (and one of my favorite ones, too)! Oh well. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review, okay? :D


	2. R: Follow Your Heart

Geesh, I finished writing this a month ago, but I didn't have the time to type this because of a lot of schoolwork and examinations. So I wanted to apologize for the late update. I know a lot of you are looking forward to this chapter, so here it is!

By the way, last chapter's POV was Naminé's, right? This time it's Roxas'. I decided that since they are the two main characters, the story will be told through their views, so every chapter will be told by Naminé and Roxas alternately.

Enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its characters…

* * *

_**Roxas**_

_**CHAPTER TWO: FOLLOW YOUR HEART**_

"Hey, wait up, Roxas!" I heard Sora call as I marched out of the room as fast as I could. I didn't want to see or hear Naminé's reaction when she finally sees everything I wrote in that notebook. I bit my lower lip as I imagined what her reaction would be. I know she'll understand, but I still couldn't help but feel nervous.

"I'll get you for this, Hayner," I muttered to myself as I walked quickly along the corridor. "I swear I will." Stupid Hayner. If it wasn't because of him, none of this would have happened!

In a few seconds, I reached the comfort room. I'm a bit athletic, so I'm kinda fast. Even Riku's long legs have no match against my speed.

To my surprise, I found the comfort room empty. That rarely happened, because lots of students go here before classes start, but I guess not today. I still checked each stall to make sure. Nope, not a single person in sight. Good, all I needed was privacy.

I walked back to the sink and banged my fist on it. Crap, I couldn't believe how rude I was to her. I wondered how she thinks of me from the way I acted. Maybe I was a _bigger_ jerk for her already. Maybe even the _biggest_ jerk in the whole world! I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

To calm myself down, I decided to wash my face. As I took my glasses off and turned the faucet on, I heard footsteps. At first I thought it was someone else. But I was relieved when I saw Sora and Riku instead. I didn't want people to see me, a member of the HSCC, in a state of disappointment.

My senses were refreshed when I washed my face. Slowly I felt calmer. "Didn't you hear me?" Sora said. "I said, 'wait up.'"

I dried my face with my face towel while Riku leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "But, admit it, Sora," he said. "Roxas is faster than before. It's harder to catch up with him this time."

I cleaned my eyeglasses. "Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment," I thanked my friend as I put them back on and walked out of the room, leaving the two behind again. "But that won't be enough to make me feel better," I added to myself.

"It _is_ a compliment," Riku called, catching up with me once again. Sora followed us.

"Dude, what was that about, anyway?" Sora said as we walked down the stairs, obviously talking about what I did to Naminé.

The three of us finally reached the ground floor and continued walking along the corridor. "Sora's right," Riku agreed. "What you did to her is really rude."

I stopped on my tracks. "I know about that," I told them, leaning on a wall opposite a room.

"Then, why did you react like that?" Sora asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "Maybe it's because I was nervous." _And I still do right now_, I almost added. I shifted my eyes to the classroom besides ours (the one right in front of where I was standing), waiting for someone to get out. Yup, I was waiting for the person who started it all…

"Nervous about what?" Riku asked this time.

"About what I wrote in that notebook," I muttered the answer, still looking at the room and hoping for that "someone" to come out.

Like an answer, that person came out. A guy with dirty-blond hair. He obviously saw me because when I glared at him, fear appeared on his face. He turned around to go back inside, but I was fast enough to stop him. "Hold it!" I shouted, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him back.

Hayner looked at me frantically. "Um…" he began. "Hi, Roxas! Long time no see."

"Long time no see?" I exclaimed in annoyance. "We just met this morning!" Before he could even say anything, I stopped him. "So, that's what you meant about a 'surprise', huh?" Yeah, he told me this morning that he had a "surprise" for me, and it looked like that "surprise" was the note at the back of my song notebook.

"What surprise?" Hayner asked, pretending to be innocent.

I raised my fist to punch him. But, really, I would never do that. I never liked violence, even though I'm a black belt in martial arts. And, hello! That's one of the reasons why I joined the Council. Plus, the members should never _ever_ be violent.

"Okay, okay," Hayner exclaimed in panic. "You're right. That's my surprise for you."

"Ha. Thanks to you, I became rude to Naminé."

"Huh?"

"He showed the notebook to her," Sora finally explained.

"What?" Hayner asked, looking at me in disbelief. "You didn't have to do that."

"But I already did," I answered.

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because she's my best friend, so I know she'll understand." Well, I really do. But sometimes, I feel nervous about it because, like what other people say, there's a first time for everything.

A long silence followed. Crap, I really hate being nervous. It made me bite my lip, walk wherever I want (and don't want) to go, and most of all, this stupid nervousness of mine was making me extremely rude to anyone. I guess that would finally explain about my behavior earlier…

"I think we'd better go back now," Riku finally broke the silence. I nodded in agreement, walking away from Hayner with my two other friends. I started thinking of a way to apologize to Madame Principal. Okay, maybe calling her Madame Principal would make things even worse, so forget I said that.

"Roxas!" Hayner called. I turned to look at him. He shoved his hands inside his pockets. "Sorry."

I smiled and pointed out a finger at him. "I'll deal with you later," I told him.

He finally grinned. Not because he was happy that I'll beat the crap out of him. And that's not what I really meant, anyway. It means "Apology accepted", and my friends understood me when I say that.

As I walked inside our room, I stopped. Our armchairs were back from their original places. Naminé sat quietly, reading a book. I entered in nervous mode again. How should I apologize to her? In an ordinary way? In a joking way, like I always did (but this was a more serious situation, so let's drop that option, shall we?)? Or in a serious way (which, I think, is the best option for now)?

I was still trying to think of other ways of apologizing, when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck," Sora whispered to me as he and Riku walked pass.

_Thanks a lot_, I almost said. _You made me _more _nervous._

But this was not a time for negative-thinking. Taking a deep breath, I walked towards my childhood friend and sat beside her. Naminé just gave me a quick look and continued reading. "Um…" I started thinking of anything else to say. "Hi."

She just smiled and gave me my notebook, which was over her desk. "Thanks," I said. What else should I say? "So, uh… What are you doing?"

She looked up to me. "I'm reading. Isn't it obvious?" she said in disbelief.

Okay, I asked that on purpose because I was hoping that my "joking" way of apologizing might work. "Well…" I started thinking of another joke to lighten things up. Aaargh, I hate this stupid nervousness. It's mentally blocking me! Well, it does to anyone, right? I couldn't think of anything else, so I finally sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry," I muttered. I didn't even know if she heard me or not.

It looked like she did, because Naminé looked at me again, this time longer. We stared at each other for a while, with me being more and more nervous. You see, this was the very first time I became rude to her. Alright, _very_ rude, because (for her) I'm always rude.

…

Ouch. I just realized that hurts a lot.

She finally smiled. "I'll deal with you later," she said.

I felt relief and joy in an instant. "Hey!" I joked. "That's my line."

She rolled her eyes and ignored me, and I knew that everything was back to normal. I smiled and patted her on the head. "You're really the best childhood friend in the world, Nami. And I love you very much for that!"

Naminé took my hand off in frustration. She's really not used to it, saying "I love you" to anyone, and having someone say "I love you" to her, and it's really understandable. She has never been really expressive about her feelings. "Okay, that's it, mister!" she exclaimed. "What am I, anyway, your dog? I take back what I said. I'll deal with you later and _I mean it_."

Translation: She'll really beat me up.

"Alright, alright," I said, raising my hands in apology. "I'll stop."

Of course, I was only joking when I said that. Naminé was reading again while I just watched her. I noticed that she was beginning to frown. She really hates it when people stare at her when she is doing something. She said she really needs concentration when doing stuff. I smirked as I watched her even more. I saw her grip on the book tightened. "Go, Nami," I teased her, even though I knew that I'll get in trouble for doing that. "You can do it."

She glared at me. "I thought you said you're going to stop!" she demanded.

I paused for a while. "Sorry," I apologized as she looked back to the book. I grinned and added, "Madame Principal."

Finally, Naminé slammed the book shut, looked at me, and gave me a fake smile.

And then…

You already know what happened.

* * *

My foot still hurt even when our first period, English, was over. I clutched it for an hour, while Naminé just ignored me. I thought I heard her mutter, "It serves you right." Don't even try telling me to stop teasing her, because I really couldn't stop myself from doing it. She looked funny and cute at the same time…

Next subject was Accounting. Aside from History, this is another subject I really suck at. Yes, even geniuses like me have weak subjects too. I couldn't believe that this is a piece of cake for the three girls (Naminé, Kairi, and Xion). All of us waited for Miss Heartilly to enter. I still clutched my foot because the pain wasn't gone yet. Crap, I couldn't believe it. She stepped on my foot harder this time. Even harder than before.

"Yo, Roxas," I heard Sora say, bringing me back to reality. I looked up and saw him standing right beside me (I was sitting on the right wing of the classroom, in the middle aisle). "You okay?" He was looking at my foot.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured him. "My foot just hurts, that's all."

Sora crossed his arms. "You teased Naminé again, didn't you?" he asked while Riku walked up behind him to join our conversation. "Rox, you shouldn't do things like that because you know that Naminé is one of the Amazons."

I _definitely_ agree with him there. Naminé is a real fighter. I'm no match against her in any form of martial arts. I was about to say that I agree with what my friend said when she interrupted. "It's his entire fault, anyway," she said. "And, Sora, I would rather advise you to shut up."

"I agree with you there, Naminé," Riku spoke up. "Guys, sometimes you need to think of other people's feelings too. Right, Naminé?"

"Uh… yeah," Naminé answered, her voice suddenly becoming soft.

Okay, I've been noticing this for a very long time. Every time she's talking to Riku, her tone will suddenly become a soft one. But when she's talking to me or Sora, she's so loud. It's really fishy.

Wait a sec. What if…

Ms. Heartilly finally arrived, making everyone go back to their seats. She explained something about her talking to a parent, but I never really heard it because I was still staring at Naminé. What if I was right? Will she admit it or not?

* * *

It was finally our recess. Almost everyone got out of the room to go to the canteen. Naminé and I stayed to eat our sandwiches. I was about to ask her about what I was thinking earlier but she spoke up first. "Roxas?" she began.

"What?" I asked, taking a bite on my sandwich.

"Do you like Xion?"

I choked in surprise, so I drank some water. "What?" I asked again, turning to look at her.

"Do you like Xion?" she repeated, a bit louder this time.

I thought about it for a while. Well, I like Xion, but only as a friend. We're both Council members, so we became really great friends. But I never gave any thought of falling for her. Plus, she told me that she was beginning to like someone, which would explain why she's becoming "girly" these days.

"No, of course not," I finally answered. She didn't seem to believe me. "Really, I don't like her."

"But are you starting to like her?" Naminé asked.

"No. Why did you ask?"

"Because you're spending more time together now," Naminé replied. She took a bite on her sandwich. "Maybe even more than the time we spend together," she murmured.

I felt like I had been struck by lightning. She was saying these things because she was lonely that I couldn't be with her. All this Council stuff made me forget about the more important things around me. Something stirred inside me. Guilt… and, perhaps, longing…

"But it's understandable," Naminé continued, making me return to my senses. "It's because of all this Council meetings."

I began to think of something – _anything_ – to say, just to change our topic. "Naminé," I finally said. "I have a question too."

"What is it?"

"Do you…" I hesitated for a while, but I told myself that I should change the mood a bit. "Have a crush on Riku?"

Naminé stopped chewing at once. She looked at me, her blue eyes wide in shock. "How did you know?" she exclaimed. "I'm not telling anyone about it."

I smiled. "You should have pretended that you don't," I told her. She seemed to realize her mistake because she covered her mouth with one hand. "You're suddenly having a personality change every time you talk to Riku, and I've been noticing that for a long time."

Naminé held my arm. "Please, Roxas," she pleaded. "Don't tell Riku. I don't want our friendship to disappear. I'm begging you."

I patted her on the head (I really like doing that). "Don't worry," I assured her. "I won't."

"You won't what?" a familiar voice said. Naminé and I looked up and saw Riku looking at me curiously, a water bottle in hand.

"Uh… Hi, Riku," I greeted him. I felt Naminé's grip tightened a bit. I glanced and saw how nervous she was. I couldn't help but smile a little. "Well, Naminé just told me who her crush is."

Naminé squeezed my arm hard to warn me, but I ignored her. "Really?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," I replied. I took another look at Naminé. She shook her head quickly. "But I can't tell you who it is. It's a secret between the two of us. Sorry."

"Nah, it's alright with me," Riku said with a smile. "Whoever that guy is, I wish you good luck, Nami."

"Thanks," my best friend answered.

We both watched Riku as he walked towards Xion. I shifted my eyes back to my childhood friend. "See?" I told her. "I've told you I won't tell him."

"But you almost did," she snapped.

I chuckled. "I'm only teasing you."

She took a bite on her sandwich, chewing it slowly like she was thinking of something. As I opened my water bottle and took a drink, I heard her whisper, "Thanks, anyway."

I smirked. "And for that, you'll have to treat me some sea-salt ice cream after class."

* * *

The next hours were as tiresome as always. We had a small discussion in Religion. Naminé was, as always, really excited during Arts (it's her favorite subject). Physics was becoming really interesting for me. Math gave me a big headache because of the problems, so I reminded myself to ask my big brother for help the moment I get home. And, finally, History ended the day. We passed our projects, had a small discussion, and that's it! Time to go home and rest for a while.

I carried my backpack and walked out of the room to wait for Naminé. This time, we're going home together. She was a bit surprised when she saw me. "What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"_Who_ am I waiting for?" I corrected her. "You."

"Me? Why?"

"Because we're going home together."

"Oh really?" she said in suspicion.

"Yes," I answered in a serious tone.

She thought about it for a while and nodded. "Fine," she answered.

"Roxas!" Xion suddenly called. She approached the two of us. "I just got a message from Axel this lunch break. He said we have a meeting today."

I looked at Naminé to see her reaction. She looked back to me. I saw understanding in her eyes… And something else, but I couldn't really tell what. She nodded, and in an instant I knew she wanted me to go.

"I'm really sorry, Nami," Xion said. "It's really important."

Naminé smiled. "It's alright with me," she answered. "You don't have to apologize." I just stared at her. The moment she met my eyes, she looked away and turned her gaze to her watch instead. "Well, I gotta get going. See you tomorrow."

"Okay," Xion and I said as we both watched her turn around and walk away. I kept on staring at her. Guilt started stirring inside me as she took steps away from us. A part of me told me to go after her, but another part told me to stay where I was.

"Let's go, Roxas," Xion voice broke into my thoughts.

"Uh… Yeah," I muttered as I followed her to the conference room. I still thought of Naminé while I was walking. I have known her for a very long time. She's the type who never tells anyone about her troubles, unless you force her to spill it. She may not express it through her words and actions, but you can see it in her eyes. And at that moment I saw something unexplainable in hers. Sadness, disappointment, or something like that. A lot of people think I'm strange because of my ability to see people's emotions through their eyes, but, hey, can you blame me? I couldn't help but notice it.

I started hating myself even more with every step I took towards the conference room. I forgot about everyone I care for just because of me being a Council member. I didn't even think about what they're feeling.

I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped following Xion. She seemed to notice it because she turned around to look at me. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

A few seconds of silence. At first, I hesitated because I might get in trouble if I do it. But this was not the time to think of my own sake. "Sorry, Xion," I said. "I really gotta go." I ran before she could say anything else. "Just tell them I suddenly felt sick so I have to go home as soon as possible!" I added.

Running as fast as I could, I started hoping that I could catch up with Naminé. Well, I probably would, since I'm faster than her. The emotions in her eyes made me more determined. If I won't be able to catch up with her, I'll feel worse than before.

I ran out of the school gate and recognized her blond hair and white bag. She was just a few steps away from me. See? I've told you I'm faster than her! I couldn't even help but smirked a little. She's a slowpoke, as always. I caught my breath for a while, ran after her, and put a hand on her shoulder when I reached her.

Naminé jumped and looked at me in surprise. "What…" she muttered.

"I thought I won't be able to catch up with you!" I exclaimed.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the meeting, right?"

"Um… It was… uh… postponed."

She raised an eyebrow at me. Did I mention she looks cute when she's doing that? I mean, she looks like a _real_ principal! Just kidding. Well anyway, back to the story…

"Alright, I lied," I finally confessed. She crossed her arms and stared at me, demanding for an explanation (another reason why she looks like a principal). "I just… um… I just wanna be with you right now, I guess…"

She just stared at me as we started walking again. "What?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Going home with you," I began to explain. "I really miss it very much. With all this Council stuff going on, I admit that I forgot about you and everyone I care for, and I'm deeply sorry for that. You don't know how much I'm missing your company." I knew she was speechless because she had been staring at me for a long time. I couldn't even believe that I said those things. It just came out of nowhere. Maybe that's what I was really feeling at that moment…

"Apology accepted," Naminé finally said.

I smiled. "You're flattered, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"Admit it. You're touched about what I said."

"I-I'm not!"

I laughed at her. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. You still need to treat me some sea-salt ice cream."

"What?" she exclaimed. "What for?!"

"Because I didn't tell Riku that you have a crush on him."

"You almost told him about it!"

"But, still, I didn't."

She didn't answer. She probably realized I was right. "But… Destiny Islands doesn't have any sea-salt ice cream."

"Then… Let's go to Twilight Town."

"What?! Are you serious? It's already three o'clock!"

"So what? It will only take a few minutes to go there by train, and we'll stay there for just a few minutes."

"But, what about our homework?"

"We don't have any, Nami."

She thought about it for a while and finally sighed in defeat. "Okay, we'll go to Twilight Town."

* * *

It's a date! Just kidding. Wow, I can't believe I wrote all of this. But I'm still not contented about it (I always do). By the way, their classes are based on our class, and yeah, we have Religion classes at out school. Any guesses who Roxas' big brother is? I'm pretty sure you already know who. :D

I already started writing the next chapter. Let's just pray that I'll finish it quickly. Anyway, I'm sorry if this is chapter is crappy. My mind was really not in the mood to search for errors… :(

Okay, I'll end it here. I really hope you like this chapter. And don't forget to review before you leave. Until next time!


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